Comments on: Mattel’s DC Subscription – Is It Time for a New Model‏?http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/
The Best Darn Toy News On The Web!Tue, 03 Mar 2015 14:05:51 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1By: Habib3000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31359
Sat, 21 Sep 2013 23:00:09 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31359Where can I place my pre-order for a Royal Flush Gang 5-pack?
]]>By: Darrellhttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31353
Thu, 19 Sep 2013 19:37:27 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31353I am not sure if this is a legitimate response from Mattel representatives, or just a rehash of a response from another source (I do seem to recall a very similar response released at one point or another), but if it is legitimate, then I for oen am getting a bit tired of Mattel’s continual blame of the fans. I have purchased a sub each and every year, 2014’s sub included, and I have enjoyed about 90 percent of the figures released (honestly, NO ONE liked that Red Hood figure). Even so, the forums on this site and Matty Collector.Com and countless other sights are full of people who had legitimate (boy, I am using that word a lot today) complaints with the line. These ranged from quality issues to customer service complaints, as well as puzzlement over why some figures were selected over much more sought after figures. And yet alongside the complaints were suggestions on how to fix these problems. In black and white, the fans were telling Mattel how to address problems and how to keep the customers happy. And yet, none were implemented as far as I can tell.
Follow that up with borderline condescending communiques and podcasts about how the fans should be grateful and how we ought to forget the issues and concentrate on the figures, blah blah blah … well, I’m sorry, I’m not surprised that some of the fans refused to say “Thank you, sir, may I have another.”
I am disappointed that my dreams for a 6-inch Mattel Mera, Aqualad, Jericho, Gypsy, Vibe, Vixen, Crimson Fox, etc., etc., are dead in the water. Are the fans to blame for not supporting the line? Perhaps in part, yes. But Mattel should take a good, long hard look at their practices and realize that they have some of that blame to shoulder themselves.
]]>By: Ralphhttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31346
Thu, 19 Sep 2013 00:30:59 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31346I dont think this is a viable option, companies like Mattel don’t green light a mockup sculpt for figures that might not sell, so Im pretty sure they’d kill this idea off just on that premise, this is the reason they asked people to subscribe for 12 figures showing only 3 or 4 (the money to make these probably was just left over from their profits from the previous sub year) to get people intrested that way if the sub didnt go through they wouldnt loose any money. Plus Im sure they would cancell the process if 2 figures in a row didnt get enough peorders to be produced.

As I see it the problem began with the last 4 DCUC waves, these lines had a ton of figures that even collectors didn’t care much about, so Mattel lost Distributer interest in this line and had to move to Matty Collector (In my opinion in order to keep Mayor Distributer intrest companies have to release waves with mixed characters both popular ones that will sell all over and not as popular characters that collectors want) and as Scott “toy guru” has said several times Matty Collector ist really important to Mattel, they keep their subs as long as they dont cost them any money, any profit they make is good but they are not about to put money into the line (thats why enought people have to order the full 12 figures in order to keep the sub alive).

I think maybe to make it safer for mattel I would add a step between 1 and 2 where they could have an online poll with a number of options of figures they got after step 1 for collectors to vote on, that way they would know for sure it would be a figure they would have enough people on board for that figure, because im not too sure if these people really know what fans want. If they did Im pretty sure they could have made an unleashed doomsday by now I know I would pay up to $50 for one if I know I was getting him, but I wasnt goint to pay for 12 figures to “posibly” get a containment suit one.

I dont know. I just think with the global economy right now in the toilet; I see little hope for 6″ DC figures that are not targeted for kids (aside from collector’s companes like DC Collectibles) Also even though he denies it Im sure Toy Guru is biased towards MOTU, it just seems to me they put more effort to MOTU than they did to CIE.

]]>By: j1h15233http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31345
Wed, 18 Sep 2013 12:15:33 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31345It’s the same thing. Whether you pay 1 dollar for a figure or the full 30 or whatever these would cost you are pre-ordering it by putting money down on a product that does not yet exist. This plan he proposed is most definitely a pre-order and it’s a more effective way to do one (at least from our standpoint).
]]>By: Tomhttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31343
Wed, 18 Sep 2013 10:17:04 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31343I like the idea of a pre-order/kickstarter program. They can let us vote on which character we want in either half year short wave themes or quarterly 5 packs. I think figure 5 packs would be really cool. Groups like the Royal Flush gang, Flash’s rouges, Legion sets, Batman family members, DC civilians, Justice League villains could be gathered together for sales. If you didn’t like a set you can wait another 3 months. There would always be some easy repaint figures, but a little effort into some full sculpt characters could be added. Depending on how we vote on who goes in would effect the cost of the sets, but showing us sketches or mock versions of the figures (we know the 4 Horsemen already have some characters sculpted) would give us an idea of what we are getting. No more surprise caped Red Hoods and such. If I was Mattel I would start off strong. Do a Superman set with Atomic Skull, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Doomsday, Live Wire and a humanoid Metallo. You have a couple of simple figures and a female, who is a repaint with a new head. That leaves more budget for Skull and Doomsday. I think we all know which version of him we would vote for.

Mattel and Scot only has another 2 years of MOTU left, then what are they going to do? DC can go on longer than that if they put a little effort into it as the do the MOTU stuff. Let us vote if we want a Batcave or a giant seahorse for Aquaman. jk

]]>By: Nathanhttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31342
Wed, 18 Sep 2013 09:21:33 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31342No, preorders would be making a down payment then paying upon release, very similar to the subscription model. Very rarely do you preorder something by paying in full upfront.
]]>By: demoncat4http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31339
Wed, 18 Sep 2013 00:34:50 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31339mattel did try a pre order thing with miss martian and super boy did not take. besides this new way would mean scott and mattel would have to put almost as much work they put into the motu sub. and even if the thing got more buyers and fans investing like for that one character. pretty soon mattel would fall back to getting scared and decide better to have sales do batman and super man. or they will go can’t do doomsday or granny goodness not enough sales for the budget and tooling. but like the idea. including with fan demanded obscure characters who have yet to have a figure ever like max lord or amanda waller . plus they can also do sets this method like the royal flush gang. but sadly dcutoys are dead with mattel for a bit.
]]>By: John Comerhttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31336
Tue, 17 Sep 2013 23:20:47 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31336the “demand is there for figures we want not fillers the horsemen as great as they are gave us what they thought along with Mattel what we wanted.i say give the fans the opportunity to have the figures made that “WE” the collectors want not what you guys think would be cool.we the fans have wanted for years.from the silver,golden,and present 52.it would sell i don’t mind paying for figures that i want but come on Uncle Sam?batzarro? over a Damien Wayne or Metron over a Doomsday? I mean what the hell were you guys thinking.
]]>By: Bradley Sugghttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31335
Tue, 17 Sep 2013 22:26:47 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31335I loved the line for those rare one off characters that no one suspected. Kamandi got me to buy DCUC. Characters like the Metal Men, Uncle Sam, Forager, and Guardian were the highlights of this line. Your model won’t get more of these figures into my collection. The DC Direct line did get some characters of this type but they lacked possibility and their paint comes off so bad. I also don’t want many more Superman or Batmans and their figures will still find a way to the shelves. I want the rest of the DCU and I want them in a standard pre-52 house style. (Pre-Crisis if possible.) So I guess I’d rather say goodbye than have your model.
]]>By: elvis8batmanhttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31334
Tue, 17 Sep 2013 22:16:53 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31334With the watchmen sub, buyers knew in advance the characters that they would be getting, and the look of each character, as it was based on the comic appearances. So they knew what they would get upfront.

This model worked, and surely there can only be SO many Watchmen fans out there, (Mattel never release actual numbers) but I would be surprised if the 63% of DCIE is less than the number that signed up for the Watchmen sub.

If Mattel suggested a list of characters for specific subs, did the subs as ‘teams or families’, polled fans to pick the six or 12 they most wanted from the list, announced the winning choices and made those then I could see this working. If they checked with DC/WB first on who they could offer up before running the poll, then we would be sorted.

Imagine being given the chance to vote for the 6 or 12 characters/looks you wanted from Batman, or Perez era Teen Titans, or from the LOSH etc, then being told who the top picks were and given the chance to sub up for those? It would be awesome. You could run a couple of subs each month, the same way some collectors were getting a monthly MOTUC figure and a monthly DCIE figure, you could be getting a figure from each of the subs you had chosen to buy into from the DC line up.

There is a fan base here, we do still want 4H DCUC figures to complete our collections, but we don’t want to be TOLD what we NEED to buy, we want to say what we want to buy. And character specific subs are the best way of letting us vote with our wallets (which Mattel always ask us to do).

The only reason this can’t work is if Mattel does not want it to. And to not want to keep a customer base by listening to them on how they want to give you their money is ridiculous!!!

…because Mattel would kcuf it up by making 3 members of the team from one of their animated series looks and the other 2 from their classic duds = classic Mattel Fail!

And I have to agree with anonymous, here’s what we get for bright ideas:

“Thanks for your suggestion, but “their” no plans at this time. The sub was your best chance to get horseman style DCU, but with only 63% of tier 1, we could not move forward. We simply cannot make toys if demand is not there.”

]]>By: cuteculthttp://www.actionfigureinsider.com/mattels-dc-subscription-is-it-time-for-a-new-model%e2%80%8f/comment-page-1/#comment-31330
Tue, 17 Sep 2013 17:27:21 +0000http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/?p=90969#comment-31330Great idea! They sort of basically did this with Greyskull and Miss Martian/Superboy but $50 was pretty steep for the two.
]]>